Improvement in harvesters



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IMPROVEMENT IN HARVESTERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 35,712., dated June 24, 18672.

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Be it known that we, BH. SMITH and G. NV. ARCHER, both 'of Ipswich, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and Improved Grain and Grass Harvester; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description ofthe same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a side sectional View of our invention, taken in the line x x, Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a plan or top viewof the same, Fig. 3, a vertical section of a part of the same, taken in the line y y, Fig. l.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand and construct our invention, we will proceed to describe it.

A represents a rectangular platform, which is placed loosely on an axle, B, and securedv thereto by bearings (t, as shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 2. This platform constitutes the main frame of the machine, and it has an inclined bar, C, secured to its upper surface. which supports the drivers seat D.

The wheels E E of the axle B are placed loosely thereon, and are made 'to engage with the axle, when the machine is drawn forward, in consequence of a pawl, E, on such wheel catching into a ratchet, G, on the axle. In backing the machine the pawls slip over the ratchets and the axle does not rotate.

On the axle B there is placed and permanently secured a wheel, H, having teeth b at one side of its periphery, at equal distances apart 5 and I is a bar which is hung loosely on the axle B, and at right angles therewith, and is braced by a curved arm, J, the backend of which is also hung loosely on the axle B, the front end of arm .I being secured to the bar I near its front end, as shown at c.

To the front part of the bar I there is secured a curved pendent arm, K, which has the Alinger-bar L connected to its lower end by a hinge or joint, M, to admit ofthe iinger-bar and sickle being raised to a vertical position when not in use and the machine is being drawn from place to place.

N is the cutter-bar, which is placed on the finger-bar, and has the back ends of pivoted cutters O attached to it, as shown clearly in Fig. 2, said cutters being pivoted to the iinger-bar, in line with the centers of the spaces between the lingers l?, and working over the edges of the fingers, producing acut similar to that of shears. This principle of cutting is not new, however. It may be seen in a number of harwesters. The cutter-bar N is connected bya rod, Q, with the lower end of an arm, It, which is attached to the front end of a rockshaft, S, thebearings d d of which are attached to bar l. The rock-shaft S is allowedto slide a certain distance in its bearings d d, and on said rockshaft there are placedtwo arms or projections, T U, which have an oblique position relatively with each other, one being at an angle of about forty-five degrees when the other is about in a horizontal position. These I arms are acted upon by the teeth b of the wheel H, and by means of said teeth and the arms or projections T U a rock motion is communicated to shaft S, and consequently a reciprocating movement given to the cutterbar N. The arms or proj ections T U are acted upon alternately by the teeth b at opposite sides of the wheel H.

At any time when it is desired to render the sickle inoperative the driver shoves the rockshaft S in its bearings until the arms or projections T Uare free from the action of the' teeth b, as shown in red in Fig. 2.

In order to elevate the iingerfbar L so that it and the sickle may rpassover any obstruc tions which may lie in their path the driver actuates a lever, V, which is attached to the main frame, and is connected by a chain, W, to bar I, the lever V being held in position by a notched bar, X. To the front part of the bar Ithere is attached a caster-wheel, Y, which serves to keep the finger-bar from bearing upon the surface of the ground.

In consequence of having the nger-bar L connected to the axle B by means of the bar I, as shown, it will be seen that the finger-bar and sickle will be allowed to rise and fall to conform to the irregularities of the surface of the ground independently of the platform and main frame A. Consequently any irregular movement of the latter which might be given it by the team or by irregularities of surface underneath its wheel E E will not affect in the least the adjusting movement of the Enger-bar. This is an important feature of the invention, for if this independent adjusting feature of the linger-bar were not obtained the sickle would be raised and lowered by the main frame and be made to cut very unevenly, as the sickle is considerably in advance of the wheels E.

By having the rock-shaft S adjustable in its bearings (Z d, the arms or projections T U may be readily thrown out of and in gear with the teeth b of the wheel H, and the sickle rendered operative or inoperative, as desired, while the arrangement of the arms T U and toothed wheel H with the pendent arm R, and connecting-rod Q form a very simple and direct means for communicating a reciprocating movement to the Sickle-bar N.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination of the rock-Shaft S, finger-bar L, caster-wheel Y, and lifting-lever V with the Swinging-bar I, driving-wheel H, and frame A, as herein shown and described, so that there will be a Self-acting adjustment ofthe cutters as the machine passes along over the earth, and so that the cutters may at any time be instantly lifted from the ground, all as specified.

2. 4The combination of the curved swinging arm J with the bar I and axle R, as and for the purpose herein shown and described.

BENJ. H. SMITH. GEORGE WV. ARCHER. 'Vitnesses: Y

WILLIAM l-LSMrrH, FOSTER RUSSELL, Jr. 

